Yuksek Away From the Sea

In 2009, it's simply baffling why artists like Yuksek elect to sign with major labels—even boutique imprints like Cherrytree. There's nothing patently wrong with Away From the Sea, the French producer's debut album, other than an overwhelming sense that all this music has already been done—to death. Yuksek hits all the right blog-friendly electro, disco, and house notes, while cleverly cribbing from Daft Punk, Justice, and Soulwax, and enlisting the help of hipster-certified acts like Amanda Blank and Chromeo, all of whom would have made a hot record—about a year ago. It's hard to shake the feeling that the record simply moldered on the shelves while the execs hammered out a marketing plan.